Question
What happened to the artists who earlier painted miniatures? How did the painters at Indian courts react to the new traditions of imperial art?
Solution
There were different trends in different courts.
(i)In Mysore, Tipu Sultan not only fought the British on the battlefield but also resisted the cultural traditions associated with them. He continued to encourage local traditions. The walls of his palace at Seringapatam were covered with mural paintings done by local artists.
(i)In Mysore, Tipu Sultan not only fought the British on the battlefield but also resisted the cultural traditions associated with them. He continued to encourage local traditions. The walls of his palace at Seringapatam were covered with mural paintings done by local artists.
(ii)In the court of Murshidabad, there was a different trend. Here in this court, after defeating Sirajuddaulah the British had successfully installed their puppet Nawabs on the throne, first Mir Zafar and then Mir Qasim. The court at Murshidabad encouraged local miniature artists to absorb the tastes and artistic styles of the British.
(iii)Several local courts lost their influence and wealth with the establishment of British power in India. As a result, it became difficult for them to support painters and pay them to paint for the court. This compelled many of these artists turn to the British.
(iv)The British officials found the world in the colonies different from that back home. They wanted images through which they could understand India, remember their life in India, and depict India to the western world.
(v)The local painters, therefore, began producing a vast number of images of local plants and animals, historical buildings and monuments, festivals and processions, trades and crafts, castes and communities.
Tips: -
V. Imp.
